Rosemary Olive Oil Popcorn

What does Movie Night at your house look like?

Maybe it's like at my house - filled with animated cartoons, popcorn, Smarties, licorice and pop or floats....It is fun! ....BUT....

What do you wish Movie Night looked like?

A lot less cartoons?  Less popcorn mess?  Maybe minus the red dye candy and cheap chocolate?

Me....My ideal Movie Night would be a historical fiction or "based on" movie, a glass of wine, cozy blanket on the couch with my hubby and some refined snacks.....a GOOD chocolate (Lindt - Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt...fav!!!) and a savory nibbly.  Be it a hot savory dip with Multigrain tortilla chips or......a fancy-shmancy popcorn....

I do ADORE popcorn.. But I ADORE it more when its "Fancy"  I'm a bit of a snob really.  I like it with Sweet and Salty....I like it with different flavor powders that you get from the store.....I like it caramel, or covered in this...Candy Popcorn....

Or...whilst watching fancy movies...I like it this way!

Rosemary Olive Oil Popcorn

adapted from Alaska from Scratch

• 1/4c unpopped popcorn, popped however you like to pop it!
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary (fresh or dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

1. Put popped popcorn in a bowl. 
2. In a small bowl, mix together oil and seasonings until well combined. Drizzle over popcorn. Stir popcorn until popcorn is well coated. Taste for seasoning and adjust where you like.
3. Serve hot.

Saskatoon-Blueberry Jam

Saskatoon and Blueberry season!

 One of my favorites.

 I really do go through the year in food seasons.  January is leftover Christmas cookie season, March-June - Strawberry season, July - Cherry season, End of July -August - Saskatoon/Blueberry SEASON!!!  September......Concord grapes....but we'll discuss that one later this year.

Right now  I am immersing myself in Blueberries and Saskatoons.  What is a Saskatoon you ask?  It is bluish purple berry.  It's similar to a blueberry but yet very different.  It grows wild all over Alberta and lots of areas in Canada.  For my part of the province prime picking is NOW!  And this year is a good season as the weather has been conducive to big juicy berries.

I like to combine Saskatoons with Blueberries and Saskatoons are a more hardy-seedy berry.  The blueberries combine well in flavor and add a wonderful juiciness that I love!

So as I am up to my eyeballs in both berries I am aiming to preserve as many as I can.  I do like to freeze most of my berries and then MAKE JAM!!!!

My little family LOVES Jam!  This year I've made a triple batch of my Strawberry-Rhubarb jam and now Saskatoon-Blueberry!  This is the first time I've tried this combo and I LOVE IT!  So does my husband.  You can make this jam straight Blueberry if ya like.  We like the Saskatoons in there too. 

Here is the recipe!

Saskatoon-Blueberry Jam

adapted from Bernardin

What you Need:

2 1/2 cups of crushed Saskatoons

2 cups of crushed Blueberries

1/4 cup of lemon juice

7 cups of granulated sugar

2 pouches of  liquid pectin (I like Bernardin)

What you do:

1.  Prepare canner, jars, and lids as per usual for jam (sterilising of jars and sealers, and boiling water in canner.)

2.  In saucepan stir together fruit, lemon juice, and sugar

3.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of butter to the mixture to reduce foaming

4.  Over high heat bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down

5.  Add pectin to mixture

6.  Boil mixture hard for 1 minute stirring constantly

7.  Remove from heat and process jars.

Processing:

1. fill jars full of hot jam mixture to about 1/4 inch from the top.

2. Wipe edge so that the surface is clean.

3.  Top with sealer and ring.  Tighten

4.  Place in canner and process. 10 minutes.  (if you live in a higher elevation you have to add a few more minutes.  Check on line.  In my town I needed to add 5 more minutes

5. Remove from canner and rest jam jars on a towel for 24 hrs.

6.  Enjoy!  

Makes 7 - 1 cup jars.

Watermelon Frosty

I've had a bit of a break on CoffeeBiscotti - 2 weeks of crazy fun and busyness.  My husband and I went on a horse back riding adventure in the mountains.  Just the two of us - no kids.  My mom and dad came up to care for our kiddos.  They had a BLAST!  Thanks Mom and Dad!

Our horse adventure was with a camp organization that does adult camps.  We ate amazing food....I DIDN'T HAVE TO COOK!, rode up in the mountains, down steep hills, over rivers, bushwacking through trees and brush...yep it was crazy but SO much fun!  Not something some people, (myself included) could see me doing.  But I embraced the adventure and had a great time.

Then we rushed home to prep for William's 4th birthday party, Pirate style.  So much fun.  We had a cake made for us which was awesome.  Thanks Erin!  So needless to say we need a vacation from our vacation....:)  But we are refreshed, and that is a good thing.  :)

The long weekend is upon us and thankfully the weather is cooperating! Yahoo for heat and sun!!!  I have an abundance of watermelon left over from the party....so off to my favorite blog sites to see what I could do with it.  JACKPOT!  A cold drink to sip on the deck!  This frosty drink is simple to make and tastes amazing!  It would be great as a breakfast smoothie as well.  Hmmmm....tomorrow.....:)

Enjoy!

Watermelon Frosty

adapted from: Run to the Kitchen

What you Need:

• 2 cups frozen watermelon cubes
• ½ frozen banana
• 1 tablespoon of lime juice
• ½ tablespoon honey
• 2-3 leaves of mint
• 1/3 cup of vanilla yogurt
• 1/4 cup of milk

What you Do:

1.  Combine all ingredients and blend in blender.  Garnish with more mint.  Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ahhh Chocolate!

Oh how I adore ya, let me count the ways...103,104, 105,....okay, I'll not get too carried away here.  But I am very excited about this recipe!

And I mean EXCITED!!!  It excites me because it is a wonderful, chewy, moist, chocolatey, easy to make cookie that my family LOVES!

PERFECTION!!!

It excites me because I have such a hard time finding new cookies my guys will eat....so when one comes along...its golden baby....GOLDEN!

So if you are thinking ahead and planning your lunch box menus for the coming school year....You mean you aren't planning.......your......lunchbox menus?  OK, awkward.....

Make these cookies!!! Nuf said.

 What you Need:

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature (2 1/4 sticks)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups  all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces chocolate chips (about 2 1/2 cups)

What You Do:

 1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Then, line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

 2.  Add butter and sugars to a large bowl, turn a hand mixer to medium speed and beat until creamy, light and fluffy. 

 3.  Add one egg, then turn mixer to medium and beat until well incorporated. Add the second egg as well as the vanilla extract and beat until they are well incorporated. 

4.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and the salt with a whisk. Whisk to combine.

5.  With the hand mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The cookie batter will become very thick. You only need to mix until everything has combined.

6.  Add the chocolate chips to the batter and stir to combine.

7.  Drop cookie dough by rounded table-spoonfuls onto baking sheets.  Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until the cookies have puffed a little and the tops are dry. 

8.  ***Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Quinoa Bean Salad

I am sooo enjoying this summer so far.  The weather has been mostly cooperative and we have been able to enjoy our backyard with friends and family!  We have already used our patio set  more than we ever did last year.  So cool!  My favourite part is that it hasn't been overly windy!   YAHOOO.  All Northern Albertans nod your heads..."Oh ya".

Ok, enough with the silly cheer leading thingy.....Anyways.  I do enjoy entertaining and serving summer foods such as salads.  But not just the same ol same ol....The ornamental green salad that is on the table and no one cares to eat kind.  I like to make fun ones with fruit in them or Doritos... yep, click and see the Cauliflower Taco salad!  Or my Layered Salad With Basil Dressing  Also tasty!

So this past week I made spin on a bean salad with the added protein goodness of Quinoa.  The wonder food....something about all its protein......I'm not a nutritionist...  Anyways, we had friends over and we rotisseried a chicken.  I wanted a hearty salad to be the side.  Something filling and satisfying.  This salad fit the bill!  Went great with the chicken and baguette we had!

Quinoa Bean Salad

What you Need:

1/2 cup white quinoa

1 cup water

1 can of green beans

1 can yellow wax beans

1 can (19 fl oz/540 mL) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed

1 can (19 fl oz/540 mL) kidney beans, rinsed

1 red pepper, chopped

1 cup finely chopped red onions

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1/2  - 3/4 cup Sun-Dried Tomato & Oregano Dressing or an Italian Dressing

What to do:

BRING water to boil in small saucepan; stir in quinoa. Cover; simmer on medium-low heat 15 min. or until liquid is absorbed. Cool.
COMBINE remaining ingredients in large bowl. Stir in quinoa.
REFRIGERATE 1 hour.

 

CoffeeBiscotti : Reflecting....

CoffeeBiscotti : Reflecting....: This past week I have been away with my little family to a reunion of sorts. A good yet sad reunion.  This past April my Grandpa George ...

Reflecting....

This past week I have been away with my little family to a reunion of sorts. A good yet sad reunion.  This past April my Grandpa George passed away at a good ol age of 94.  He was an amazing man. Generous, thankful, kind, hard working, happy and full of praise and prayer.  We were able to celebrate his life this past weekend on a bright sunny day with almost all his family.  It was beautiful to reflect on a Grandpa, Dad, and Uncle who impacted so many people.

I was surrounded by family and when families are together there is always food.  My Grandpa loved good food..... We had a big bbq and fellowshiped together and ended the night with a sing song of some of Grandpa's favorite songs and hymns.  I loved it.

Later that night my mom and sister in law Heather were together sipping on some tea and nibbling on some candies and cookies.  My Grandpa had such a sweet tooth.  He had a specific drawer that all us grand-kids knew about....and it was always full.....of hard candies, licorices and caramels.  :)  As we were visiting and reminiscing, my Mom pulled out a bag of "Toasted Marshmallow" from the Nutty Club.  This was one of my Mom's dad's favorite treats.  Now my Grandpa Ernie passed away almost 30 years ago and I didn't get to know him well, so it is always cool to hear about him.  Mom pulled out these candies and shared them around.  They were really tasty.  She said he liked them cold....so into the freezer they go!

The next day I found a couple of bags of these treats and bought one for my mom and one for me.  I have been enjoying them and thinking about how a simple treat can cause a person to remember something or someone special.  When I got home I needed to refill my cupboards and fridge and to my pleasant surprise my grocery store carries these treats...They've always been there....I just didn't "see" them.  Now I will and remember my Grandpa Ernie and a memory shared with my mom.